Severe Weather Means More Weather Spotters Needed

Severe weather season is approaching quickly.

But thanks to some unseasonably warms temps, this season could come even sooner.

It’s a rare occurrence for me to be standing outside in short sleeves in March. I’m not complaining, but it is pushing local emergency response units to think about severe weather earlier than usual.

Typical severe weather season is June through August, but severe weather campaigns will start soon to remind the public just how serious warnings and watches should be taken.

As a reminder, when a watch is issued there’s a chance for bad weather to happen.

A warning means bad weather has already been spotted.

If you start to hear sirens, take shelter immediately.

“That means you either have tornadic activity that’s already occurring or you have rotational activity that’s occurring and the chance for a funnel cloud drop down is probably imminent,” said Cass County Emergency Manager Jim Prochniak.

Weather spotters are an important part in gathering that information and relaying to meteorologists.

They are often volunteers from the community trained to identify cloud formation and approaching severe weather.

To be trained as a weather spotter in your area, visit the National Weather Service North Dakota homepage.